March Madness- The Owners Want More Money

For most of us the NFL labor situation is a daily nuisance that we can't escape. Every network wants to report the latest goings on including how much time the two sides spent together today and what kind of food they ordered for lunch. I too have tired of the situation, if only because the two sides don't seem to grasp what they have. So let's examine that for a second.

First, the owners. ESPN recently reported that the collective net worth of the team owners is in the neighborhood of $40 Billion. Think about that for a second. These people own multiple homes, fly private jets, buy rare objects and generally live a lifestyle most of us cannot comprehend. Jennifer Lopez, a minority owner of the Dolphins, has stated that her children never wear the same outfit twice..... Now, do the owners take on risk when they buy a franchise? Are there expenses associated with running said franchise? Are they paying ridiculous amounts to a bunch of prima-donnas? Yes, yes, and yes. When Jerry Jones, who is nearly as annoying as Al Davis and Mark Cuban, purchased the Cowboys, the team was in disarray, hemorrhaging money, and near complete failure. Now they are one of the most valuable franchises in the world. Does Jerry deserve compensation for that risk and the subsequent success? Yes. But my question is this: hasn't he received it? Haven't all of the owners, including the crappy ones like Al Davis and John York (owner of the 49ers and equally as clueless as Mr. Davis), received their reward? Look at the state of the game. It's the most popular sport in the US. It grossed over $9 Billion last year. The league now negotiates TV contracts that pay them BILLIONS of dollars. What more do they want? They have already raised ticket prices through the roof and charge huge dollars for their merchandise. I ask again, what more do they want?

For the players I am a little more sympathetic, but only a little. True only a handful of players are the malcontents who give all players a bad image. But the bottom line is, over 20% of these guys live paycheck to paycheck and yet the league minimum salary is around $300,000 (for those who play at least 3 games) and the average base salary in the NFL is over $950,000 (before bonuses). For perspective, the median household income in the US is around $50,000. These jokers are making at least 6 times the average US household and more likely close to 20 times the average US household. I know the average NFL career lasts only 3 years, and that injuries take a heavy toll, so I am all for creating better methods to care for these guys when they're done, but with that kind of money I don't feel bad for them. They're not the owners, but they're not the rest of us either. If an NFL player is smart, controls his expenditures, and properly prepares for the day when football is no longer a viable career, he can still be in a position to be financially set for life and live comfortably and at the same time get paid to play a game each of us would love to be a part of. They get paid to stay in shape, to eat well, and to enjoy adulation and adoration from the masses. The rest of us get paid to clean their hotel rooms, do their taxes, pick up their trash, fix their teeth, and do all of the other mundane things that make our economy go around.

So the bottom line to my rant.

I am all for a rookie wage scale; rookies should not be getting this kind of money for having proven nothing while veterans get less for breaking their bodies.

I am not for the 18 game schedule. Increasing schedules is a money grab by the owners, plain and simple. The product is incredible, 18 games will make it worse, not better. There will be more major injuries, more meaningless games, and less quality on the field.

I am not for the owners getting more money. The only way owners should get one dollar more for their expenses is if they open their books and demonstrate to players what is happening to their financial model. This is something they have yet to do. Worse, you have owners like Jerry Jones and Jim Irsay who have invested heavily in their teams and you have jerks like Davis, York, and the guy that owns the Cardinals who suck money out of their teams and are not held accountable for it because they are bargaining as a group.

Ultimately none of this will matter. We will have 18 games shoved down our throats. We will see further increases in ticket prices while our government tries to convince us that the worst recession in nearly a century is over. We will continue to hear about coddled, arrogant players who think normal rules do not apply to them, breaking the law and getting off lightly (see Ben Roethlesburger (I am sure I misspelled his name and I don't care)). And fans will continue to support this product.

It's enough to make me sick.